Shalimar teens set sail for daylong adventure

Lolita Harper

The skies were gray, the wind was cold but the spirit at the Newport

Harbor Yacht club Saturday afternoon was bright and cheery, as

Newport Beach high school sailing teams shared their typical sailing

routine with children from Shalimar Place -- some of whom had never

been on a boat.

Roger Riley, Tom Tupman, the ever-dedicated staffers at Shalimar

Teen Center and high school students from Newport Harbor, Corona del

Mar and Sage Hill high schools worked to introduce 18 “at-risk” Costa

Mesa students to the sport of sailing. The children were at the yacht

club for hours, learning the intricacies of sailing, practicing and

racing.

Although the students live in neighboring cities and are all part

of the same school district, their lives, economic status and

opportunities are completely different.

Newport Harbor High School student Lauren Gautschi, who worked on

the race committee Saturday, said she had been sailing since she was

5 years old. Without passing judgment, or sounding the least bit

snobbish, she admitted it was strange to think the Shalimar kids had

never been on a sailboat before.

“I have just done it for so long, it is kind of weird to think

it’s not just normal for everyone,” Lauren said. “More people should

get into it.”

Costa Mesa resident Adrianna Barrera had never sailed before and

had never been to a yacht club. Yacht club. They are two words that

are known to her only because of the media but never considered it a

family hangout, she said.

“I always wondered what one looked like,” Adrianna said. “It’s

nice.”

Riley, a Shalimar volunteer and yacht club member, said the chasm

that divides the two groups of students, who live just miles from

each other is the reason this event, and others similar, exists.

“We do this to build self worth and esteem in these children,”

Riley said. “To expose them to things they have not experienced --

something challenging. The name of the game is success.”

He has worked for the past three years on similar projects, such

as camp-outs, whale watching tours and community service projects, to

help teach the Shalimar children the positive influence they can have

when they strive for success. Riley also hope to help the kids make

connections for education, jobs and social opportunities, he said.

“We want to brake the mold of that barrier,” Riley said.

The students proved Saturday that it didn’t matter whether their

skin, home life, neighborhoods or accents were different, because it

took teamwork to make the boats glide across the bay.

“These kids just caught on so easily,” said Tupman, who hopes the

event can continue annually. “You wouldn’t believe it, they are just

naturals.”

As Tupman and Riley watched the kids come in from sailing,

numerous yacht club members congratulated them on the event.

“What a super good deal this is,” a passerby said, while shaking

Riley’s hand. “It’s just great and it’s really cool.”